Ampoule opener



May 9, 11950 M R, HELDS 2,507,097

AMPOULE OPENER Filed Oct. 15, 1945 /z' .j g /0 fa a -r f y Patented May 9, 1950 UNITED STATES P TENT OFFICE 2,507,097 AMPOLE OPENER of illinois Application octnber '15, 1945, serial No. 622,347

i 4 Claims.

This invention relates to a device for opening ampoules; that is to say, sealed yglass vials containing medicaments or other materials which are maintained in -a sterile condition, or otherwise preserved by being enclosed in a hermetically sealed container.

Ampoules of this character are employed largely by the medical profession and they are supplied to physicians and surgeons in hermetically scaled conditioncontaining various medicaments. The doctor usually open the ampoule by draw-ing a iile across the neck portion and then breaking the ampoule at the neck. The le mark serves to facilitate the breaking at the selected point.

The opening of an ampoule in the customary manner as described is attended with considerable inconvenience in that a suitable iiie must be at hand. In order that such a le will always be immediately available, it has been the practice to package a file with each ampoule. The furnishing of a, file in this manner necessarily1 increases the cost of the product and the packaged weight thereof, which is further reflected in the cost due to the increased shipping charge. Even when the le is conveniently available, its use for the purpose indicated has been a matter of inconvenience .and diiiiculty. Necessarily, the le must be drawn across the ampoule while applying considerable pressure on the file y to cause it to scratch the surface of the glass. This is diicult because of the small size of the iile which is usually furnished, and the attendant lack of a large enough mass to aior'd a firm grip. There are other objections to the conventional method of opening ampoules but those mentioned typify the general situation.

The objects of the present invention are to eliminate the necessity for supplying a separate le with each ampoule While at the same time providing ampoule opening means which may 'easiiy be maintained available for use at all times; to provide an ampoule opening device which will facilitate the application 'of adequate pressure for opening the ampoule; and in general, it is the object of the invention to provide an improved vmeans for opening ampoules of the character indicated.

Other objects and advantages ci the invention will be understood by reference to the folio'win'g 'specification and accompanying drawing, wherein there is illustrated an ampoule opening device embodying a selected form of the invention.

in the 'drawing-z Fig. -1 is 'a side elevation in which certain portions have been broken away and shown in sections to more fully illustrate some details of construction;

Figs. 2 and 3 are end elevations of theleithand and right hand ends respectively of the device as shown in Fig. l, and

Fig. 4 is a section on the line liof Fig. l but showing the parts in a slightly changed position.

The ampoule opening device illustrated in the drawings comprises two sections, respectively designated I and 2, which are pivoted together at one end as indicated at 3, and provided at the other Vend with a, loop f3, which is pivoted as indicated at 5 i-n the member 2, and adapted to be swung over the adjacent end portion of the member I to hold the two sections in the closed position illustrated in Fig. 1.

Both members I and 2 are made of sheet metal strips bent into U-shaped form in cross section. The member i includes the spaced leg or wall portions 6 5 and ears E 'I at one end for forming a part of the pivot connection with the member 2. The other end of the member I, if. e., its free end, is provided with leg extensions or ears 8 8 which have their ends overlapped and pressed tightly together as indicated at ii. The overlapping ends may be soldered or otherwise secured together at 9, if desired, although this is not necessary.

A file IIJ is seated in the member I between its sides 6 5, one end Il of the iii-e abutting a washer or other suitable ller i2 located between the pivot ears 6 6 of the member I. The other end I3 of the file is housed within the free end portions of the sides 6 5 of the member I and the free end ears or extensions 5 thereof. The sides 5 6 of the member I are so spaced that the iile I0 will t fairly snugly therebetween while at the same time being movable into or out of the member I by endwise movement through the vfree end loop formed by the walls 5 6 and ears 8 8.

In one iorin of the device, the file rests on the inside surface of indentations M formed in the bottom of the member I as clearly shown in Fig. l. In addition to providing supports for the le, the i-ndentations I 'i serve the important function of facilitating gripping of the device as will presently appear. In some instances, a fill of lead or solder may be provided in the bottom of the channel-shaped member I for supporting the file in the desired position within the member I.

The member 2 comprises side walls I 5 i5 disposed generally parallel with an'd in co-planar relation to the walls 6 5 of the member I.4 At

one end, the member 2 is equipped with ears I6--I6 which are offset outwardly from the planes of the walls l-I5 so as to be capable of embracing the ears I-'I of the member I as clearly shown in Figs. 1 and 2. To maintain the ears Iii-I6 properly spaced, they may be equipped with extensions I'I-I'I and inturned ears or legs I8-I8 which are adapted to abut each other as shown in Fig. 2 to thereby maintain the said spacing of the pivot ears I-IG.

A suitable bail or ring I9 may be secured in the extensions I1 and the device may conveniently be attached to a key chain or the like through the agency of said bale.

A spring 2i) having a portion looped around the pivot pin 3 or around the washer I2 and legs 2I and 22 respectively engaging the bottoms of the members I and 2, is provided for yieldingly urging the members I and 2 to swing on the pivot 3 to an open position. The loop 4 previously referred to serves to hold the members in closed position as illustrated in Fig. l against the opening force or the spring 2E).

The normal width of the walls I5-I5 is approximately the same as that of the walls 6-6 and at the free end of the member 2 they are recessed as shown at 23 to receive the extensions 8 of the walls of the member I. Said walls I5I5 are also provided with recesses or notches 24, 25 and 26 of progressively increased or decreased size as shown. These recesses 245, 25 and 2t are of more or less V-shape so as to be adapted to position an ampoule in substantially Xed relationship to the member 2 while the member i is pressed toward the member 2 so as to hold the le l0 against the ampoule.

The device is used by rst disengaging the loop 4 from the member I so as to permit the spring to open the members I and 2 relative to each other. An ampoule is then positioned in one of the notches or recesses 24, and 26, depending upon the size of the ampoule, and the member I is then manually urged towards the member 2 so as to cause the file to bear against the ampoule positioned in the member 2. The ampoule is then rotated which causes a circumferential portion thereof to be moved across the teeth of the le I0 thereby providing a continuous scratch in the surface of the ampoule completely around the same. It is not necessary to scratch the ampoule surface all the way around but it is a simple matter to do so with the described device, and opening of the ampoule by breaking the same at the scratch line is adequately controlled so that a desirable smooth and even break will result.

In Fig. 4 an ampoule is represented in dotted lines at 21, a neck portion 28 thereof being shown seated in one of the notches such as the notch 24.

Files for opening ampoules are generally available in the form illustrated; that is to say, with their ends cut or broken in the diagonally extending, more or less ogee curved form shown. Such a le is insertable into the member I by being moved endwise through the free end guard loop formed by the joined extensions 8 8, the le being slid between the sides 6-6 of the member until the innermost end of the le abuts the washer I2 at the pivot end of the device. When the le is properly inserted, the outer end of the le will be located wholly within the guard loop at the free end of the member I as shown. Ii' the le is inserted with the wrong end rst, the outer` end portion of the file will be caused to project beyond the end of the member I so that the improper positioning of the le will be im mediately apparent. It may then be withdrawn and turned end for end and inserted in a proper manner. The arrangement described thus insures positioning of the file with the cutting teeth thereof facing in a predetermined direction. Cutting of the surface of the ampoule will, therefore, be most advantageously effected when the ampoule is rotated in a given direction.

The angle at which the ends of the le are formed and the direction of the cutting teeth is such that when the ampoule is rotated to secure the most eicient cutting effect from the file, there will be a strong tendency to move the ille endwise toward the pivot washer I2. Hence, each time the device is used there will be a force exerted to move the le to its fully seated position in the member I. It is not, however, necessary to provide any special means for locking the le in its seated position since the t of the file between the sides 6 6 of the member I is sufciently snug to resist accidental displacement of the file. Such frictional holding effect is somewhat augmented by the fact that the les which are commercially available, are usually slightly bowed in their length so that they provide their own spring holding action against the sides of the member I. Files such as are supplied for the purpose indicated are of such quality that a considerable number of ampoules may be out with each le before it is dulled to such an extent that it must be replaced. When replacement is necessary, it is accomplished by opening the device and forcing the le endwise out of the member I. This is readily effected by gripping the member I containing the ille between the thumb and the index iinger with the thumb engaging and urging the le to move endwise out of the holder I.

Various changes in the details of construction of the described device may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention.

I claim:

1. A device for opening ampoules and the like, comprising a pair of elongated, pivotally int-erconnected members, one of said members being provided with a file projecting from one of the long edges of the member, and the other of said members being U-shaped transversely and provided with means for positioning an ampoule or the like in fixed relationship to said member and in cutting relationship to said le, said U-shaped member being so positioned relative to the other member as to permit said projecting file to enter between the legs of the U-shaped member for closing the device.

2. A device for opening ampoules, comprising a pair of elongated, pivotally interconnected members, one of said members being provided with le projecting from one of the longitudinal edges of the member and the other of said members being U-shaped transversely, the legs of said U-shaped member being respectively disposed on opposite sides of the plane of said projecting file and having their edges, which are adjacent to said file bearing member, provided with recesses for positioning an ampoule in cutting relationship to said file, said recessed edges providing supports for the ampoule on opposite sides of the plane of the le so as to thereby support the ampoule against rocking about the edge of the file incident to manipula tion of the ampoule during opening thereof.

3. An ampoule opening device, comprising a 5 pair of pivotally interconnected, elongated members adapted to be moved relative to each other about the pivot connecting said members so as to enable their respective inner edges to be moved toward each other, one of said members having its inner edge provided with an elongated recess, which is adapted to have a le slidably seated therein with the cutting edge portion of the le projecting from the recessed edge of the member, the other of said pivoted members having its inner edge portion provided with a notch having a Wall portion which is remote from said pivot at an abrupt angle to the length of said member and a wall portion which is adjacent to said pivot at a lesser angle to said length of said member, said abrupt edge portion serving during the operation of cutting an ampoule to more effectively resist displacement of the ampoule lengthwise of the inner edges of said members incident to reaction forces resulting from cutting engagement of the ampoule with a le seated in said recessed edge member as aforesaid, the pivoted end portion of the device being provided with an element adapted to be engaged by the le to limit endwise sliding movement thereof in said recess incident to forces applied to said le in the ampoule cutting operation.

4. An ampoule opening device, comprising a pair of pivotally interconnected, elongated members adapted to be moved relative to each other about the pivot connecting said members so as to enable their respectively adjacent inner edges to be moved toward each other, one of said members having its inner edge provided with an elongated recess, a file longitudinally slidably seated in said recess with the cutting edge portion of the le projecting from the recessed edge of the member, and the back edge of the file disposed adjacent the bottom of the recess in the member, the other of said pivoted members having its inner edge portion provided with a notch for receiving and positioning an ampoule against movement lengthwise of the device and for cutting engagement with said le, abutment means at the pivoted end portion of the device engageable by the adjacent end of said le to limit endwise sliding movement thereof in said recess incident to forces applied to said file when an ampoule is rotated in said notch in cutting engagement with said le, said le having substantially parallel ends inclined relative to the cutting edge of the le, the angularity of said ends being such that when the le is properly placed in said recessed member, the end portion of the le at the back edge thereof will extend lengthwise of the device over a portion of said abutment means.

MACK R. FIELDS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 849,149 Lybeck Apr. 2, 1907 870,951 Goodholm et al. Nov. 12, 1907 1,169,600 Bastian Jan. 25, 1916 2,410,901 Ramsey Nov. 12, 1946 

